West Loop Salumi

Cure Thing

Possibly the New Salami King of Chicago

Well, the guy’s made up. Fiction. Doesn’t exist. A sweet daydream of John Hughes.

But West Loop Salumi, opening Saturday, is very, very real. Its proprietor is well on his way to
becoming the Salami King of Chicago—a position that’s been vacant too long. Here’s the
backstory.

Basically, he’s a 28-year-old salami ninja. Or close enough. He had a consulting company. He sold it and
went to culinary school. Then he began a quest to find the best cured meats in the world. He discovered a
medieval salami-making castle outside of Parma, where they took him in and showed him their ancient ways.
It’s very Kung Fu. But with ham.

He’s already made a name for himself in the wholesale game (Eno, Provenance). But with his storefront, you
can swing by for a little black-truffle salami before a romantic date at home.

Or stay. There will also be a little sidewalk patio, where you can BYOB and nibble on milk-fed culatello
(sort of like prosciutto, but from specially raised pigs), barolo salami (made with aged wine) and
ciauscolo, which is a spreadable salami.